Riding with the Tea Party

In April, the photographer Jason Andrew boarded the Tea Party Express III for the final ten days of a three-week, forty-seven-city tour through the small towns of America. The “Just Vote Them Out” tour focussed on the competitive districts of Democratic incumbents, spreading a message against taxes, spending, and big government. Here is a selection of Andrew’s images, followed by a short Q. & A.

A man holds an American flag over his face during a Tea Party rally at Emmet-Charlevoix County Fairgrounds on April 10, 2010, in Petoskey, Michigan.

How did you become interested in the Tea Party?

I initially became interested in the movement following their Taxpayer March on Washington in September, 2009, that is said to have drawn over seventy-five thousand people. I began pitching the story after I returned from Ukraine, but found little interest. I decided to fund the trip myself.

I’m only documenting politics the same way that I document the rest of the world. I’m usually drawn to the quieter moments within the story, and I try to stay clear of taking a political approach to the images or having them look like wire images that flood the market daily.

You mention that the people at the rallies don’t know much about the behind the scenes operations, and we don’t see that in the images either.

It’s just not very visual. It’s just big politics hiding behind a grassroots movement. I’m interested to see how much influence the Tea Party movement will have in tomorrow’s midterm elections.